


Izuku's Ice

by Wolfkun



Category: The Long Dark (Video Game), 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Friendship, Gen, M/M, Relationships not the focus - Freeform, Survival
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-10
Updated: 2018-10-26
Packaged: 2019-07-29 07:26:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16259468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wolfkun/pseuds/Wolfkun
Summary: Izuku, Fumikage, and Shouto head to Canada to meet their friend and have a summer vacation/ job in the far north.  Until the plane crashes.  And they're stranded.  And wolves stalk them.





	1. Just Some Turbulance

**Author's Note:**

> This story is a little different as it was inspired by a roleplaying session from my old group. They said they don’t care for anime which makes life simple as I create their characters and they’re always like, man I like these guys. Where’d you get the idea for such cool protagonists? 
> 
> The story was loosely inspired by the video game 'The Long Dark' by Hinterland Games; the system was Cypher System, and the End Notes will have a bit of information on the characters, there are no quirks. I tried to write close to their personalities.
> 
> We’ll see how this goes.

**Chapter One**

 

“Izuku!”

 

Eshe spotted the mop of messy green-tinted curls and threw himself at his friend in excitement.  The crowd moved quickly to get out of his way and since he was in a wheelchair the feeling for some in the milling crowd was akin to a near miss with a freight train.

 

Izuku smiled, “Hello Eshe.”  The visiting Japanese student was wearing baggy clothing with his favorite DJ, All Might, featured on the front, “Let me introduce my friends, Shouto and Fumikage.”

 

Shouto was taller than Izuku by about six inches, broad-shouldered, and had a barely present smile as he eyed the teal-haired wheel-chair bound boy.  Next to him was a more slender goth with black hair and a narrow face.  The smile was wide, but the boy just waved at the excitable youth.

 

“Hello, Eshe,” Shouto said, “Thank you for the invitation.”

 

“Oh, it’ll be cool.  Aunt’s built a cabin with a storm basement half into the mountain.  It’s not that big, but it’s got its own power from an underground stream, can you believe it?  She’s got a sweet setup.  She said the furniture is in the barn in boxes and she wants the stuff filed and sorted and set up.”

 

Fumikage ruffled his hair, “Excitable, you remind me of my younger brothers.”  At Eshe’s worried frown, “That’s a good thing.”

 

Eshe laughed a little, “Hey, any friends of Izuku must be as neat as him.  ‘Cause I’ve never met anyone as cool as he is.”

 

Shouto smiled a bit more, “Oh?  Should I worry about you poaching my boyfriend?”

 

Izuku ducked his head embarrassed, “Guys!”

 

Eshe giggled, “I’ll hang out with Fumikage when you two do stuff.”

 

Fumikage laughed lightly at Izuku’s red face, then he addressed Eshe, “Am I cool enough?”

 

Eshe poked his jacked, “You like the band Dark Shadow right, they do those goth songs? Like Mad Bouquet?  I got some sent to the cabin.  We can watch the live concerts.”

 

Yes, Fumikage would get along with Eshe.

 

“You have a plan,” Izuku said knowingly.

 

“A simple one,” Eshe agreed, “There’s this weird dinner place, I got reservations for four.  Then we’ll meander to the lower airfield and board a small plane.  We’ll fly up tonight to the field and then hire a taxi to take us the eight or so hours up to Aunt’s. Then it's just fun and movies and games and-“

 

“Work?” Izuku asked. 

 

Eshe sighed, “Yeah, that too.  Your stuff was sent up, so you’ll have clothes and your instruments already there.  I can’t wait to hear you three play.”

 

Despite summer, they were far enough North that there was a light crisp of frost in the air.  The three visitors noted how easily Eshe maneuvered the wheelchair, weaving among the people.  The chair was black with dark streamers and yellow-rimmed wheels.

 

The restraint was named ‘Black Nights’ and had a live punk band.  The four sat at the rear corner and listened to the heavy bass guitar songs interspersed with a synthesizer and –

 

“Is that a kazoo?” Fumikage leaned forward with surprise.  It wasn’t bad but very unusual.

 

“Ah, let me tell you a secret about Canadians,” Eshe said, “They’re mostly crazy- but in a good way.”

 

“What about Americans?” Shouta asked, “Aren’t you from there?”

 

“We’re mostly crazy- but not in a good way,” Eshe sighed, “Oh yeah, I should do this before getting the meal.”

 

As Izuku watched Eshe wheel away, he heard Shouto say, “He seems pretty nice.”

 

“He thinks I’m neat,” Izuku was amazed.  Both of his friends laughed at the timid boy’s shy wonder.

 

“Hey!” It was Eshe’s voice up by the band, the boy was waving at the crowd, “So here’s the thing, I came with some neat guests from Japan, the green-haired shy kid there-“ Everyone swung to look at the blushing boy caught off guard, “who just accepted an internship with All Might. So Josie here,” A wave to the smiling lead pianist, “said she’d agree to accept a duel like All Might used to do.  Sound good?”

 

The guitarist brought out a synthesizer; it was one of the more expensive instruments.  The waiter stopped by; he was dressed in emo black with a hairstyle that Eshe would have described as ‘chicken butt.’

 

Josie laughed as Eshe started to play a simple scale only instead of notes it was ducks.  She joined in and interspersed her noted as gunshots and Eshe giggled, adding in a sound remarkably like a duck dying.  Soon it was ‘Quack, quack, pop, Awwrk’ up in the front with laughing from the audience.

The waiter shook his head, “Josie’s good, but Eshe is better.  He just can’t be goth and emo and punk.”

 

Up front, the sound of dogs barking after cats were interrupted by a low cow’s moo.  Followed by an elephant’s trumpet from Josie.

 

Eshe was startled, “So wanna be serious?”

 

The two played together, without music, demonstrating the guitar, drums, and keyboard between them.  Right until in the middle of a riff by Josie what sounded like a heard of cats sounded.

 

Josie mock frowned and shooed him away, to get her band back.

 

“You play a lot?” Fumikage asked.

 

“Oh yeah.  I mean, I wanna be a teacher.  I’m an idiot like that.  But I love fooling around and playing music.  Izuku plays guitar, right?   Shouto on the synth and Fumi on the drums?”

 

Eshe looked over at the next table when they said something to him.

 

“Fumi?”  As if testing the nickname.

 

Shouto caught his eye with a small grin, “I like it, _Fumi_.”

 

As evenings go, it could have been worse.  It would get worse soon, but none of them knew that.

 

The plane was a dual engine turboprop Cessna; bright yellow with a pilot that looked as if she had just stepped out of the backwoods.

 

“Okay kids, I’ve got some hay bales to deliver, they’re up front.  You guys are in the rear.”

 

Izuku went over to Eshe, “Need help?”

 

Ese grinned, “Carry me on?”

 

Izuku lifted the boy without strain.  While Izuku wasn’t tall, he was compact muscle.  The boys got seated, and Eshe was next to Fumikage with Shouta next to his boyfriend facing them.

 

The hay bales were large and rolled tight.  They also saved the boys when the plane went down.  The boys had drifted to sleep lulled by the engines’ purr and the dim lights.  Taken aback by the whistle of air and unsteady wings, the pilot was fighting for control.  She was good, good enough to get the plane down in a geyser of snow and ice and broken limbs; not quite good enough to prevent a branch spearing through her in the cockpit.

 

Had she a choice, she would have accepted her fate; because in the early dawn, Izuku carried Eshe on his back while Fumikage and Shouto carried knapsacks with scavenged goods.  The three Japanese fifteen-year-olds taking their friend down into the white tundra. 


	2. Walking in the Snow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Camping. Snow. Concussion. Wolves. Just an ordinary camping trip, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: I’m not a survivalist, I’m a gamer; I loved this game but kind’a sucked at it. Better at it than ‘They are Billions’ though; don’t come to me for help in a zombie apocalypse.

**Chapter Two**

 

“S’rry,” Eshe slurred his words.

 

Izuku ignored the complaint.  While the older boy’s boots were good, they were not designed for this kind of weather and terrain.  Eshe was leaning against his shoulder, on his back and had started mumbling apologies.  Izuku knew he was prone to apologizing too much, is this what he sounded like?

The boy was glad he worked out in the last few years because Eshe was a thin, lightweight kid of fourteen, short for his age, but appeared to be slowly putting on weight as the walking extended.

 

“There, it’s not best, but it’ll work,” Shouto pointed.  The teen had been looking for a spot since noon.  Worry had laced his thoughts as he did not want to set up camp in the dark.

 

Shouto directed them to a jutting rock from the cliff they were following.  The snow on the ground was significantly less, so there was a good chance they could get dry tonight.

 

“Fumikage, you’ve done some hunting right?”

 

“Trapping with my dad, yes.  I’ll see if I can find something.”

 

Izuku grimaced, “I don’t want to lay him on the snow.”

 

Shouto agreed, “Here.  We’ll put him on my jacket.”

 

Eshe did not even protest as was lowered on the jacket.  The boy was awake but did not seem lucid.

 

“I’m worried he has a concussion.  He was thrown from his restraints.”

 

Izuku sighed, brushing some snow off his friend, “So we need to keep him awake?”

 

“That’s a myth,” Shouto corrected gently, “It would be best if he slept.  Would you clear the ground so I can get a fire going?  If you can dump clean snow in this, we’ll melt it for water.” 

 

Shouto handed his boyfriend an empty plastic jug he salvaged.

 

“I wondered why you brought this from the wreck,” Izuku admitted.

 

The green-haired boy used his gloves to hand sweep an area in the shallow snow; soft dirt was underneath.  They had two blankets, the one that was damp and burnt from the crash went on the ground.  Izuku was always resourceful when it came to using material around.  He proved it by setting up a crude drying rack of short wooden poles pushed into the dirt with a springy branch he broke from a nearby tree to set across the poles.

 

Fumikage came back a few hours later with several fresh edible berries and a skinned rabbit.  The fire was glowing a welcome red, and Shouto was hanging his jacket over the branch as he spoke.

 

“… kind of wobbly.”

 

“Jeez, I got it,” Izuku said with no heat, “Do you have a plan?”

 

“I would like to know that, too,” Fumikage said, announcing his presence, “How is Eshe?”

 

Izuku sat next to the boy, carefully supporting him and peeling the jacket off, “Not great.  I’ve cleaned up the blood from his head, but he’s not really aware of what’s going on.”

 

Fumikage went to the fire, “Rabbit meat might be harder to digest, let’s give him the berries.”

 

“Sounds good,” Shouto agreed, pulling his shirt off, “We need to dry all of our clothes and share the blanket tonight, body heat will help keep us warm, the clothes act against us.”

 

In truth, Shouto was guessing some, but he wasn’t sure if this was a hypothermia situation or not.  They could keep their boxers on, he supposed, but not if wet and his underthings were from the snow which got through everything.  Next time, ridiculous looking or not, he was going outside on a snowy trip in a full set of waterproof snow gear.  The boy was never going to trust planes to fly again.

 

Fumikage made a face, “I can’t say I’m thrilled to share a blanket with you two snuggling.”

 

“No snuggling tonight,” Shouto said, though it was clear from the disappointed tone that he did not like it, “I need Eshe between Izuku and I.  Since I’m the only one with first aid training, I want to keep an eye on him.”

 

The smell of cooked rabbit was clear from the fire.  It was an indication of how hungry they were that the rabbit smelled good.

 

The boys got their clothes laid out to dry by the fire, huddling together under the single blanket.  It had been rolled up and tagged as a gift for a couple the pilot had known, made for a queen’s sized bed and light but amazingly warm.

 

“We’ll follow the cliff face for as long as we can.  It’s blocking the wind and giving potential shelter.  I’m worried about leaving the forest, as the trees thin there will be less food and the predators more desperate,” Shouto said.

 

“There were wolf tracks,” Fumikage said, “But they are a few days old, following deer.”

 

Shouto looked over, “You’ve been quiet, Izuku.”

 

Izuku had a strange expression, “Eshe’s hand is uncomfortable.”

 

Fumikage blushed a little as he looked at the sleeping boy, “No details please.”

 

The next day and the quartet were moving again, Fumikage carried Eshe; late morning had him wondering how strong Izuku was since Fumikage would not be able to carry Eshe too much further.

 

The group left the cliffs as the mountains gave way to a rocky shore with ice-capped pools of water.

 

“Ah, some luck,” Shouto waved, a ranger’s cabin with a half-buried jeep was just visible out along the shore.  A lighthouse was unlit nearby.

 

It still took them nearly three hours to cross the knee-deep snow; Izuku and Shouto taking turns in the lead.  The cabin was cold, empty, and a note was written and laid out prominently.

 

_Visitors, the car does not work, gas in cookstove, wood out back for the fireplace.  Radio does not work, green lights in sky destroyed electronics.  Use what you need.  Left to get help._

 

“Damn,” Shouto said, “Looks like we’re on our own for a while.”

 

It did not take long for the teens to get a fire burning and Fumikage scrounged up a meal made from cans.  Eshe was curled by the fire, sleepy and guilty.  Not only had he brought these three into the wintry hell but he couldn’t help and he – was lying to them.

 

Izuku came in from the jeep outside, shut the door and went around fastening the wooden inside shutters to seal the place.  The cabin was just a small and simple one room with a small toilet off the side; the fire warmed the room nicely.

 

Shouto grimaced, “Our clothes are too wet.  We need them off and dried. You only need to remove what’s wet, which is… everything.  Izuku did you find blankets?”

 

“One, plus the one here and the two we have.”

 

“So, four… are ours wet?”

 

Fumikage came over with a bowl of hot soup, “I’m starting to think Shouto, that you are looking for an excuse to get us naked.”

 

Shouto gave him a look about what he thought of that observation.

 

Izuku said, “Yeah.  We’ll share.  We got a bed and the heat.  Should we stay or push forwards?”

 

Fumikage added, “No more than two days, we’ll be short on food.”

 

“Let’s stay tomorrow,” Shouto said, “See if Eshe is up and moving.”

 

A glance at the drowsy boy.  Izuku went over and crouched, “Hey, do you need help?”

 

“I lied!” Eshe started to cry, “I’m sorry it’s all my fault!”

 

Izuku looked lost, “You lied?”

 

Fumikage sighed as he knelt to hug Eshe, “About your age, right?  You’re thirteen.”

 

The goth boy was observant and had two brothers around that age.

 

“Twe-elve,” Eshe sobbed, “I just wanted friends.”

 

Izuku said slowly, “But you were in classes with me.  You moved up a year, you said.”

 

“Th-ree…”

 

Shouto looked at Eshe, “I understand, people bullied you, right?  Because you’re very smart.  They are stupid like that, don’t like who is different.”

 

Eshe looked at them then threw himself at Izuku, crying.

 

“It’s the head trauma,” Shouto said, “Just hold him, I didn’t realize he was just a kid.”

 

Izuku held his younger friend, a bit amazed at how intelligent Eshe must be to move up three grades.  The teal-haired boy was unable to walk, which also probably brought its share of bullying.  People really could be idiots.

 

The night drowsiness was interrupted by a howl from right outside the door with a scrabbling on the shuttered windows.

 

Shouto got up and wrapped a towel around his waist as he grabbed a fire poker.

 

“I’m not fighting naked,” he said to Izuku’s questioning look.

 

Izuku sighed, “A gun would be nice, just this once.  Fumikage will you hold him?”

 

The boy got up and rummaged for some kitchen knives.

 

Then he got a towel.  As he was wrapping it on, he laughed at hearing Eshe murmur against Fumikage, “Best bird ever.”

 

The rear window shutter was flung open with a bang as a starved wolf’s head lunged inside.  Izuku met the head with a steel cleaver, opening a cut on the muzzle.  The head withdrew with a loud growl of distress and Izuku closed the shutter, holding the thick plank cover against the window frame.

 

“Shouto, do we have a hammer?”

 

Eshe blinked when they returned, “Why are you two only wearing towels?”  A pause, “Why is Fumi naked?”  A longer pause, “I am not wearing clothes!”

 

“They got wet, Eshe,” Fumi sighed with a smile, his brothers called him Fumi too.  It didn’t bother him but sounded weird coming from someone else; he wouldn’t let just anyone say it, “We’re staying tomorrow and then leaving in the morning.”

 

“Ah, I found a map,” Eshe announced after rummaging through some drawers in the morning, Fumi had helped him go to look.  The two other boys were still reclined against the wall under the blankets.

 

Fumi came over and poked him, “It’s rude to stare.”

 

The two in bed had moved beyond snuggling to kissing.

 

“I can’t help it,” Eshe said, watching openly, “I’m just a victim here.”  Followed by am awed whisper, “Do they even need air?”

 

Nope.  Fumi was not going to get involved in this; he returned to packing what food items there would have left; mostly spices and a few cans of soup.  Also, a good supply of medical items.

 

Later, when the boys dressed in the late morning; it felt good to put warm, dry clothes on.  None of them was really looking forward to going out.

 

Eshe pointed, “We’re here.”  His finger on the circle that helpfully told them, “We’re in Wolf County, there’s a few packs that frequent the area, I assume that’s where the wolf tracks are pointing.  If we cross the damn and go up to here, along the road is a trading post, gas station, and small grocery.”

 

“Oh, that’s my kind of hunting,” Izuku enthused.

 

Fumikage shook his head in despair; his friends were all ridiculous.

 

Eshe blinked, “You hunt in grocery stores?”

 

“For bargains, yeah.  I always do the shopping for my mother; I’m better at coupon clipping.”

 

Fumikage pointed at the map, “What’s this?”  The three x’s were north of the damn.

 

Izuku guessed, “Tracks?”

 

Shouto snorted, “What animal leaves tracks like that?  Obviously, it’s a porno store.”

 

Eshe said, “Uh, it’s actually a set of wind turbines.  I think there’s a small office there I saw when we drove by a few times.  I don’t know what ‘Fluffy’ means though, it’s written on the dam.  My aunt’s house is about here.”

 

Shouto considered the scale, “That’s not too bad, we can get there in four, maybe five days.  If we leave early and use the compass, I could kiss the ranger,” he ignored Eshe’s mumbled ‘proved he can kiss,’ “we can reach the dam by early evening.  Then another day to the wind turbines,” again there was a mumbled ‘why would you think porno, weirdo’ from Fumikage, “And a day to the grocery.  Then to Eshe’s aunt’s house.  Is it stocked?”

 

“Aunt was kind of crazy, so she’s got a lot of bulk stuff, at least three months, maybe more.  The safe house under, the one we were supposed to be fixing up has room for a lot; I visited twice while contractors were building, but I think everything’s in the barn.  There’s a tunnel into the shelter from there.  A kind of back door, she said.”

 

Shouto sighed, “Okay, then today, we need to get our stuff packed.  We also need to look over our clothes and see if we can add anything from here.  Eshe, pack the map, and I’ll take the compass.  Izuku, I’ll take Eshe, can I give you a heavier pack.”

 

Izuku considered, there was a difference between being strong and having the stamina to carry a heavy load a distance.

 

“Yeah, I can manage.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I gave my group the cabin wolf attack, a defense scenario. They left the disabled kid alone inside, went out and fought the wolves. When they got in and found the wolves had killed Eshe for food, they were like ‘well, one less mouth to feed. Loot the corpse.’ I realized they were all potentially terrible people; ‘no, sorry, it was all a dream.’ We played the scenario a few times. Considering they specifically asked to get a small campaign that did not involve all fighting and everyone knew in the Cypher System there are no rewards for combat, I thought they were pretty focused on depopulating the animal population.
> 
> Cypher System has a character with a descriptor and a focus. I had them take two descriptors, one physical and one mental plus a focus that was cinematic. I let them pick from a list of appropriate types, giving them artwork I made of the boys in DAZ (God, Shouto’s hair was annoying).
> 
> We ended up with: Name (Class) physical and mental descriptors. Focus.
> 
> Izuku (Crafter), strong and driven. Crafts unique objects.  
> Shouto, (Survivalist), tough and caring. Leads.  
> Fumikage (Hunter), sharp-eyed and goth*. Lives in the Wilderness.  
> Eshe (Trader), crippled* and intelligent. Would rather be reading.
> 
> I created these traits after the group said my list didn’t fit. We worked out something they agreed was fair. I’ve run many games; I can tell you that the group makes all the difference between having fun and wanting to strangle the lot of them. It was a pretty good quartet, even if they scared me at times.


	3. The Dam and the Wolf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The four boys make the dam which brings its own set of problems.

**Chapter Three**

 

The four boys made the expansive dam by early evening; a landmark, the dam spanned the mouth of a river and usually was loud with no close approach allowed because of security patrols; all four found the dark unlit lamps and silent power station to be eerie.   Their hike from the ranger’s station had been peaceful with a vast expanse of field and rolling hills to cross; they had walked the entire day without stopping as there was no shelter in the open areas.  It was later than Shouto liked as he carried Eshe; they were tired and sore with a worrying numbness creeping up their feet through the padded waterproof boots.  The wind and slivers of ice it blew were the worst enemies, more dangerous than a tangible threat.

 

Izuku wrenched open a door, breaking the ice that had frozen the thick metal security door shut.  Inside the long concrete hallway was chilled though the wind was at least not blowing on them.  At the end of the hall was a cold and silent room, lit only by the fading light from the high set windows above.  Once an office with wooden desks and chairs, papers were haphazardly strewn about in a clear indication that the people who once worked here, maintaining the dam, had left quickly without an orderly evacuation.

 

“Izuku, would you check all the cabinets in these rooms?” Shouta set Eshe down near where the fire would be set up.  They were all sore and tired, “Fumikage is going to set up camp for us and check our gear.  I’ll get a fire started.  Eshe, I’m going to bring papers and books over, look through them and tell us what we can use for fuel and what might help us figure out our next steps?”

 

Eshe nodded, rubbing his hands together to get warm.  The youth still had guilt over being carried.  Truly Izuku and his friends were heroes.

 

The shriek of stressed metal marked Izuku’s passage through the rooms as he broke open lockers and checked doors to closets and other areas of the office.  Fumikage got a jug of packed snow from outside and placed it near the fire to melt while he cracked open two cans of beef stew to heat over the flame with a small camping cookpot that he’d taken from the ranger station.  Shouto crouched by Eshe, and the two boys looked through the papers and phone logs.

 

“Shouto?” Izuku asked, “Oh, good.  Here are two camping rolls.”

 

All four brightened at that good news.  There were boots and a few flashlights too.  I can’t find any fuel for the heaters, and the lake looks frozen, though I only checked from the windows near the stairwell.

 

Shouto looked at the notes left and then at his boyfriend, “Fluffy is a wolf that got into the lower levels, and the ranger was supposed to come, but a green-ribbon aurora took out the electric engines and the dam was evacuated with the nearby population.  That was about three days ago.”

 

Eshe sighed, enjoying the warmth of the fire.  He said, “Our plane went down about the time the government evacuated everyone from the territory.  It doesn’t look like there’s going to be any help.”

 

“Should we try for an evacuation point?” Fumikage asked.

 

“No,” Izuku said slowly, thoughtful as he sat down to alter a pair of waterproof boots by packing cloth inside so it would fit Fumikage’s smaller feet, “I think Eshe’s cabin shelter is still the best bet.”

 

Eshe pointed out, “Aunt will expect us there.  She’s down south in New York City, but once she gets a chance, I have faith that she’ll expect us there.”

 

Shouto sat down next to Izuku, agreeable to his boyfriend’s logic, “Alright.  We’ll rest here.  Then traverse the lower dam level and search the rooms on the other side tomorrow.  If we leave at first light, we should reach the grocery area and then we have another day to reach the cabin.  Perhaps three days?”

 

Izuku put his arm around Eshe, “Hey, you’ve been quiet.  How are you holding up?”

 

“Awful,” Eshe gave a wan smile, “I just want to get to the cabin, y’know.  It’s frustrating to be carried everywhere.”

 

Fumikage gave him some stew in a small camping bowl, “Do you mind answering a question I had?  Were you born without the use of your legs?”

 

Eshe shook his head, “Izuku didn’t tell you?  It was an accident.  A car went through the café window when the driver lost control and hit the table my family was seated at,” Eshe wore a wistful smile, ”My mother and father were killed while I lost the use of my legs.  That’s why I stay with my aunt now.”

 

Fumikage nodded with sympathy while Izuku had known since last year and shared the story six months ago with his boyfriend.  Esge had said it wasn’t a secret.

 

Shouto ate his stew slowly, “Let’s try to get some sleep.  We’ll brace the doors, and then we can get a good rest.”

 

The next day saw Eshe on Izuku’s back, Shouto in the front and Fumikage bringing up the rear.  They were walking down a long sloping hallway, presumably to the generator room for the dam.

 

“You didn’t sleep well last night, Eshe,” Izuku said softly.

 

“No,” Eshe whispered into his ear from where his chin rested on his shoulder. 

 

“Nightmares?  I get them at times too.”

 

“Yeah, it’s just you’re cool, and I’m… just me.”

 

“I think you’re pretty cool,” Izuku said, “Though it would be better to be hot in this weather.”

 

“We’ve got a problem,” Shouto said as he pointed.  A large black wolf was by the ladder landing.  It was apparent that they’d have to climb down a ladder, get to the opposite side of the room and climb another ladder.

 

Fumikage observed the half-starved wolf, “I think if we brandish torches, we’ll all go down and move together.  Sound good?”

 

Izuku heard the loud breathing of his friend and remembered that Eshe had once said he didn’t like heights.  Still, he wasn’t going to call attention to it, and there wasn’t anything to be done about it anyway.

 

Makeshift torches brandished and waved slowly in front as Shouto backed the snarling wolf up as Fumikage slides down.  The wolf’s eyes glimmer with intelligence as Izuku joins the other two.  Eshe says, “It’s starved, or it wouldn’t be bothering us.  Fumi, can you give it some meat from that rabbit?”

 

Fumikage threw the rabbit meat he’d been carrying, and the wolf went after it; the boys quickly climbed up and ascended a series of sloped halls.

 

“We’ll stay here.  I’ll stay with Eshe and check the lockers for gear, Fumikage, and Shouto, could you try and find some food?” Izuku asked.

 

At first light, the group trekked for the power station’s windmills and the grocery store beyond that.  They had talked about a sled to pull, but none of the boys were sure how it would fare in the puffy snow; in the end, they decided to travel light instead.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I gave my group many paths, and I made two separate maps with different symbols of the same area; by cutting it up, the people could match landmarks and piece together the route they wanted. In theory. In practice, they decided there were two of each landmark and made the map twice as big. I let it go, but they were never where they thought they were. Detectives, we were not.

**Author's Note:**

> This campaign was five sessions; we had to restart a few times due to ‘dream deaths’ (i.e. you dreamed that you fought the wolves without weapons. You died a messy death, what do you really want to do now that you're awake?).
> 
> There were five classes:
> 
> Survivalist (Explorer) Trader (Speaker) Crafter (Adept with Skills)  
> Hunter (Fighter) Scanner (Explorer with Tech)


End file.
